So where are the most viruses found?

• As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), from January 2021 to the present day, the majority of cases were reported in Asian and/or African countries.
• There was a 63 per cent increase in the number of zoonotic outbreaks in Africa between 2012 and 2022 compared to 2001 and 2011.

Why are viruses being found in Asia and Africa so often?

• It’s not that these regions are innately bound to produce new diseases. Multiple factors are at work here.
• Humans in these continents have a greater chance of coming in contact with animals more often in their many densely populated regions, thus increasing the risk of the spread of diseases.
• The dramatic, transformative change that many countries are undergoing in these regions — countries like the UK, to an extent, went through a similar experience when they underwent industrialisation in the 18th and 19th centuries and faced diseases like cholera and typhoid.
• Factors like Increased frequency and reach of travel, changing patterns of land use, changing diets, wars and social upheaval and climate change increase interactions between humans and reservoir hosts, facilitating exposure to zoonotic viruses. 

About:

• There is yet no dedicated monkeypox vaccine, but vaccinations against smallpox was found to be 85% effective in preventing smallpox, a disease eradicated in 1980.
• In 2019, the United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), approved the JYNNEOS vaccine for the prevention of smallpox, monkeypox and other diseases caused by orthopoxviruses, including vaccinia virus, in adults 18 years of age and older and categorised as having a “high risk of infection.”
• JYNNEOS, developed by Danish biotechnology company, Bavarian Nordic, contains a live vaccinia virus that does not replicate efficiently in human cells. 

About:

• The brown-and-green frog, known as lithobates catesbeianus and weighs over two pounds (0.9 kg), had the greatest impact in Europe.
• The brown tree snake, known as boiga irregularis, has multiplied uncontrollably on Pacific islands including Guam and the Mariana Islands, where the species was introduced by the U.S. troops in World War II.
• The snakes have, at times, been so abundant that they caused power outages by crawling on electrical equipment. This signals the need for investment controlling global transport of invasive species to avoid paying for mitigation after the invasions occur.

About:

• Data uploaded on the Wildlife Institute of India’s website say the elephant population across 16 States in the country ranged between 27,785 and 31,368 in 2012.
• While Karnataka had up to 7,458 elephants followed by Assam with 5,281, Maharashtra had only four.
• India has 30 notified elephant reserves, spread across 15 Elephant Range States.
• There are also 10 sites for the MIKE (Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants) programme, mandated by the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
• The MIKE sites are Chirang-Ripu and Dihing-Patkai in Assam, Deomali in Arunachal Pradesh, Garo Hills in Meghalaya, Eastern Dooars in West Bengal, Mayurbhanj in Odisha, Shivalik in Uttarakhand, Mysore in Karnataka, Wayanad in Kerala and Nilgiri in Tamil Nadu.

About:

• From August 1, liquor will be sold only through government outlets in the Capital. He said the number of liquor shops will not exceed 850 – as under the previous policy.
• The new excise policy was introduced in Delhi in November 2021.
• It made sweeping changes to the nature and functioning of liquor trade in the city. The government exited the customer-end of the trade entirely, shutting all government-run liquor vends, and sale of liquor was handed over exclusively to private players.

About:

• Prime Minister said that so far, about 170 GW capacity has been installed from non-fossil sources in India. India is among the top four-five countries in terms of installed solar capacity.
• The Kayamkulam plant is the second-largest floating solar power project of the NTPC after the 100-MW plant at Ramagundam in Telangana.
• The floating solar system was built on a 450-acre lake area adjacent to the NTPC’s Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Project (RGCCPP). Implemented at a cost of ₹465 crores, the project consists of around three lakh Made in India solar PV panels floating on water.

About:

• Mr Sanchez said, his government will adopt urgent energy-saving measures on as European countries strive to become less dependent on Russian gas in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
• Over the past few weeks, Europe has experienced record-high temperatures.
• Prime Minister Sanchez said, not wearing ties will ensure people stay cooler and therefore lower energy costs because air conditioners will be used less often.
• Spain is not the first to take this move. In 2011, Japan introduced its "Super Cool Biz" campaign, which encouraged office workers to wear cooler clothes in summer.
• And during sweltering temperatures in the UK recently, politicians were told they could ditch their suit jackets while in the House of Commons.

About:

• With the inauguration of IIBE, India can not only influence the gold pricing but also play a role in setting the gold prices.
• Prime Minister also launched NSE IFSC-SGX Connect and laid the foundation stone of the headquarters of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) at GIFT City.
• IFSCA also signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with regulatory authorities of Singapore, Luxembourg, Qatar, and Sweden in the presence of PM Narendra Modi. 

About:

• The State’s showing was impressive as 2021 saw the more virulent second wave of the pandemic. In fact, between 2016 and 2019, it remained at the top with an average of 53 days.
• Despite enjoying the record of having the highest number of sittings in 2021, Kerala (where the Left Democratic Front is in power since May 2016) had promulgated 144 ordinances, also the highest in the country.
• Making the findings in its study on the functioning of State Assemblies for 2021, the PRS Legislative Research (PRS), a New Delhi-based think tank, states that for the year in question, Odisha followed Kerala with 43 sitting days; Karnataka 40, and Tamil Nadu 34 days.
• Of the 28 State Assemblies and one Union Territory’s legislature, 17 met for less than 20 days. Of them, five — Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Delhi — met for less than 10 days. The figures for Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Punjab were 17, 16 and 11, respectively. 

About:

• The first-ever national-level meet of District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) is being organized at Vigyan Bhawan by National Legal Services Authority. The meeting will deliberate on the creation of an integrated procedure to bring homogeneity and synchronization across DLSAs.
• There are a total of 676 District Legal Services Authorities in the country. They are headed by the District Judge who acts as Chairman of the authority.
• Through DLSAs and State Legal Services Authorities, various legal aid and awareness programs are implemented by National Legal Services Authority. The DLSAs also contribute towards reducing the burden on courts by regulating the Lok Adalats conducted by NALSA.

About:

• The scheme, with an outlay of over Rs 3.03 trillion in five years to FY26, will enable discoms to modernise and strengthen the distribution infrastructure and improve the reliability and quality of supply of power to end consumers.
• It also aims to reduce the AT&C (aggregate technical and commercial) losses to pan-India levels of 12-15% and ACS-ARR (average cost of supply-average revenue realised) gap to zero by 2024-25. REC and PFC have been nominated as nodal agencies for the scheme.
• RDSS mandates compulsory installation of smart meters across the country. The Centre has set an ambitious target of installing 250 million smart meters by 2025.
• With this new scheme coming into force, all other previous schemes such as Integrated Power Development Scheme, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana and Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) would stand subsumed. 

How many MiG-21 aircraft have crashed recently?

• There have been six MiG-21 Bison crashes in the last two 20 months, with five crashes in 2021 and one in 2022. Five pilots have lost their lives in these crashes. However, this is the first fatal trainer aircraft crash of the MiG-21 Bison in a long time.

How many MiG-21 Bison aircraft are in IAF?

• There are four squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft currently in service in the IAF with each squadron comprising 16-18 aircraft, including two trainer versions. Out of these one squadron, Srinagar-based No 51 Squadron, is going to be retired from service or ‘number plated’ in IAF jargon on September 30 this year, leaving three squadrons in service.
• Out of these three squadrons, one will be number plated each year and, thus, MiG-21 Bison will be phased out of IAF by 2025. The IAF is looking towards reviving these squadrons back into service with the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.

About:

• This information was given by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. He said the draft bill is under finalization. The elections to Cantonment Boards are proposed to be held thereafter.
• Defence Minister said a framework for cutting out civil areas of certain Cantonments and to merge them with neighbouring State municipalities is under consultation with concerned States.
• He said this will provide uniformity in local governance and greater ease of living for citizens in the process. 

About:

• Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) was launched two years ago under the ambitious Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package as a dedicated Central Government scheme that provides medium-long term credit facility for investment in creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets.
• This facility comes with financial support by way of three per cent Interest subvention from Government and credit guarantee by CGTMSE fee up to two crore rupees.
• This scheme can be converged with the existing Central Government and State Government schemes. This has immensely benefitted stakeholders in the agricultural ecosystem - Farmers, Agri-entrepreneur, FPO, SHG, JLG, PACS, APMC, Startup, Central, Marketing Cooperative Society, State Agencies etc.

About:

• Under it, a monthly grant of Rs. 4000/- per child is provided for family based non-institutional care including Sponsorship (kinship) or Foster Care or After Care.
• The Mission Vatsalya in partnership with States and Districts provides support to a 24x7 helpline service for children as defined under the JJ Act, 2015.
• The Mission Vatsalya Scheme envisages setting up Cradle Baby Reception Centres in at least one Specialized Adoption Agency (SAA), preferably government run, in each District, to save the abandoned children and look after them with due care and affection till he/she is given in adoption.

About:

• Designed by Indian Navy's inhouse Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built by CSL, a Public Sector Shipyard under Ministry of Shipping (MoS), the carrier is christened after her illustrious predecessor, India's first Aircraft Carrier which played a vital role in the 1971 war.
• The 262 mtr long carrier has a full displacement of close to 45,000 tonnes which is much larger and advanced than her predecessor. The ship is powered by four Gas Turbines totaling 88 MW power and has a maximum speed of 28 Knots.
• Built at an overall cost of close to Rs. 20,000 Crs, the project has been progressed in three Phases of contract between MoD and CSL, concluded in May 2007, Dec 2014 and Oct 2019 respectively. The ship's keel was laid in Feb 2009, followed by launching in Aug 2013.
• With an overall indigenous content of 76%, IAC is a perfect example of the nation's quest for "Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” and provides thrust to Government's 'Make in India' initiative.
• With the delivery of Vikrant, India has joined a select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier.
• The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier would soon be commissioned into the Indian Navy as Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant which would bolster India's position in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and its quest for a blue water Navy. 

About:

• It added that participation of men will be encouraged in the family planning programme and that lack of access to contraceptives had been identified as a priority challenge area.
• While multiple factors have been identified that explain low contraceptive use among married adolescents and young women, two most important factors are child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
• Over 118 districts reported high percentage of teenage pregnancies and are mostly concentrated in Bihar (19), West Bengal (15), Assam (13), Maharashtra (13), Jharkhand (10), Andhra Pradesh (7), and Tripura (4).
• Additionally, over 44% of the districts in India reported high percentage of women marrying before they reach the age of 18. These districts were in Bihar (17), West Bengal (8), Jharkhand (7), Assam (4), two each in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

About:

• Agriculture Census is conducted every 5 years, which is being undertaken now after delay due to corona pandemic. The field work of agricultural census will start in August 2022.
• Agricultural Census is the main source of information on a variety of agricultural parameters at a relatively minute level, such as the number and area of ​​operational holdings, their size, class-wise distribution, land use, tenancy and cropping pattern, etc.
• This is the first time that data collection for agricultural census will be conducted on smart phones and tablets, so that data is available in time. Most of the States have digitized their land records and surveys, which will further accelerate the collection of agricultural census data.

About:

• It may be noted that as per the UNCTAD World Investment Report (WIR) 2022, in its analysis of the global trends in FDI inflows, India has improved one position to 7th rank among the top 20 host economies for 2021.
• India is rapidly emerging as a preferred country for foreign investments in the manufacturing sector. FDI Equity inflow in Manufacturing Sectors have increased by 76% in FY 2021-22 (USD 21.34 billion) compared to previous FY 2020-21 (USD 12.09 billion).
• Despite the ongoing pandemic and global developments, India received the highest annual FDI inflows of USD 84,835 million in FY 21-22 overtaking last year’s FDI by USD 2.87 billion. Earlier, FDI inflows increased from USD 74,391 million in FY 19-20 to USD 81,973 million in FY 20-21. 

About:

• With a view to modernize storage of food grains and to ramp-up the storage capacity for food grains in India, a new model ‘Hub & Spoke’ Model for implementation in Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode has been proposed.
• The proposed Silos will operate under Design, Build, Fund, Own & Transfer (DBFOT) (FCI’s land) and Design, Build, Fund, Own & Operate (DBFOO) (Land of concessionaire/other agency) mode, through implementing agency i.e. Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Meaning

• Hub and Spoke Model is a transportation system which consolidates the transportation assets from standalone locations referred to as “Spoke” to a central location named as “Hub” for long distance transportation.
• Hubs have a dedicated railway siding and container depot facility while the transportation from Spoke to Hub is undertaken through road and from Hub to Hub via rail.
• This model by harnessing the efficiency of railway siding, promotes cost efficiency through bulk storage & movement, reduces cost and time of handling and transportation and simplifies operational complexities in addition to economic development, infrastructure development & employment generation in the country.

About:

• While Mr. Saied has welcomed the result, his critics have warned that the new Constitution would erase whatever democratic gains Tunisia has made since the 2011 Arab Spring (Jasmine) revolution and push the country back into an authoritarian slide.
• The Arab Spring protests began in Tunisia in December 2010, leading to the fall of the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had been in power since 1987. Ben Ali had to flee the country in the face of the mass uprising.

Arab spring in other countries

• Quickly, protests spread to other Arab countries such as Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria.
• While protesters brought down the 30-year-long dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, the revolution did not last long in that country.
• In Libya, the protests against Mohammar Gaddhafi slipped into a civil war, which saw a military intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
• In Bahrain, the Shia majority country ruled by a Sunni monarchy, neighbouring Saudi Arabia sent troops to crush protests in Manama’s Pearl Square.
• In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh had to relinquish power, but the country fell into a civil war, leading to the rise of the Shia Houthi rebels.
• In Syria, protests turned into a proxy civil war. President Assad seems to have won the civil war, for now.
• Tunisia was the only country that saw a peaceful transition to democracy, and with the new Constitution, it is witnessing another transition. 

About:

• Google Street View is an immersive 360-degree view of a location captured using special cameras mounted on vehicles or on backpacks by data collectors moving around the city streets.
• The images are then patched together to create a 360-degree view which users can swipe through to get a detailed view of the location.
• It is available to view on Android and iOS using the app, or as a web view.
• In India, unlike in other markets, Google Street View is powered by images from third parties as per the National Geospatial Policy, 2021.
• Street View in India is not allowed for restricted areas like government properties, defence establishments and military areas. This means in a place like Delhi, the cantonment area will be out of bounds for Street View. 

About:

• The Coffee Act, 1942 was first introduced during World War II, in order to protect the struggling Indian coffee industry from the economic downturn caused by the war.
• The government is now trying to scrap the law because the substantive portion of the Coffee Act, 1942, which deals with pooling and marketing of the commodity, have become redundant/inoperative.
• The new legislation is now primarily concerned with promoting the sale and consumption of Indian coffee, including through e-commerce platforms, with fewer government restrictions.
• It also aims at encouraging further economic, scientific and technical research in order to align the Indian coffee industry with “global best practices.”
• While the Coffee Board continues to have limited control over marketing, exporters will still require a certificate from the statutory body. 

About:

• Oxford Dictionary defines kangaroo court as “an unofficial court held by a group of people in order to try someone regarded, especially without good evidence, as guilty of a crime or misdemeanour”.
• In a less literal sense, it is used to refer to proceedings or activities where a judgement is made in a manner that is unfair, biased, and lacks legitimacy.
• The origin of the phrase is not clearly known, but it is believed to have been used from the 19th Century onwards. Why the word ‘kangaroo’ is used is also not clear, but there are several theories.
• The Collins Dictionary argues that it could be to evoke a sense that “justice progresses by leaps and bounds” in case of kangaroo court verdicts.

About:

• India has had a woman President earlier. The first time this happened, there was a minor debate on the proper way to address the Head of State, apparently because “Rashtrapati”, according to some people, has a “male” connotation.
• That debate died down soon, after it was agreed that in India’s constitutional scheme, words like Rashtrapati and Sabhapati (Speaker) are understood to be gender-neutral.
• Activists and feminists objected to expressions like “Rashtrapatni” and “Rashtramata”, saying the use of such terms for a constitutional post was “patriarchal” and “gender-biased”.
• Constitutional experts argued that the word Rashtrapati, which was finalised after discussions in the Constituent Assembly, should not be changed only because India had a woman President — because the word has no gender connotations; it’s simply that ‘President’ translates into Hindi as ‘Rashtrapati’. 

About:

• India has a long history of service in UN Peacekeeping, having contributed more personnel than any other country. To date, more than 2,53,000 Indians have served in 49 of the 71 UN Peacekeeping missions established around the world since 1948.
• Currently, India is the fifth largest troop contributor (TCC) with 5,323 personnel deployed in 8 out of 13 active UN Peacekeeping Missions.
• India’s contribution to UN Peacekeeping began with its participation in the UN operation in Korea in the 1950s, where India’s mediatory role in resolving the stalemate over prisoners of war in Korea led to the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War.
• In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN Peacekeeping Mission.
• A total 175 Indian peacekeepers have so far died while serving with the United Nations. India has lost more peacekeepers than any other UN Member State. 

About:

• Revival measures approved by the Cabinet focus on infusing fresh capital for upgrading BSNL services, allocating spectrum, de-stressing its balance sheet, and augmenting its fiber network by merging Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL) with BSNL.
• To improve existing services and provide 4G services, BSNL will be allotted Spectrum in 900 and 1800 Mega Hertz band administratively at the cost of 44 thousand 993 crore rupees through equity infusion.
• It is expected that with the implementation of this revival plan, BSNL will turn-around and earn profit in FY 2026-27.

About:

• The top court called the PMLA a law against the “scourge of money laundering” and not a hatchet wielded against rival politicians and dissenters.
• The verdict came on an extensive challenge raised against the amendments introduced to the 2002 Act by way of Finance Acts.
• “Money laundering is an offence against the sovereignty and integrity of the country, It is no less a heinous offence than the offence of terrorism” the court noted.

About:

• This MoU will help NIRDPR faculty in acquiring and widening their knowledge, and develop an international professional network in agriculture, nutrition and rural development.
• NIRD&PR, an autonomous organisation under the Union Ministry of Rural Development, is a premier national centre of excellence in rural development and Panchayati Raj.
• Recognized internationally as one of the UN-ESCAP Centres of Excellence, the Institute is located in Hyderabad, Telangana. In addition to the main campus at Hyderabad, this Institute has North-Eastern Regional Centre at Guwahati, Assam. 

About:

• The project will provide 4G mobile services in 24,680 uncovered villages in remote and difficult areas. The project has a provision to include 20% additional villages on account of rehabilitation, new-settlements, withdrawal of services by existing operators etc.
• In addition, 6,279 villages having only 2G/3G connectivity shall be upgraded to 4G.
• The project will be executed by BSNL using Atmanirbhar Bharat’s 4G technology stack and will be funded through Universal Service Obligation Fund.
• The project cost of Rs. 26,316 Cr includes capex and 5 year opex.
• The project is a significant step towards the vision of the Government to provide mobile connectivity in rural areas.

Background

• Last year Government approved a project for providing 4G mobile services in 7,287 uncovered villages in 44 aspirational districts across 5 states.
• In his Independence Day address in 2021, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave a call for saturation of government schemes.

About:

• The start of production from BM-SEAL-11 project is expected from 2026-27.
• BPRL has 40% Participating Interest (PI) in this Concession along with Petrobras, National oil company of Brazil, as the Operator with 60% Participating Interest.

This will help in:

• accessing to equity oil to strengthen India’s energy security.
• diversifying India’s crude oil supply and Indian oil companies have expressed interest in sourcing more crude oil from Brazil.
• Strengthening India’s foothold in Brazil, which will further open business avenues in neighbouring Latin American countries.
• Further strengthening the bilateral ties between the countries. 

About:

• FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 is scheduled to be held in India between 11th and 30th October 2022. The seventh edition of the biennial youth tournament will be the first-ever FIFA women's competition to be hosted by India.
• The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup is the world championship for female players under or upto the age of 17, organized by FIFA. The event started in 2008 and is traditionally held in even-numbered years. The 6th edition of the event was held in Uruguay from 13th November to 1st December, 2018. Spain is the current champion of FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup.

About:

• A bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana, Justices Krishna Murari, and Hima Kohli also directed the Center and the States to pay the arrears to the officers in three instalments 25% in three months, another 25% in next three months, and the balance by June 30, 2023.
• Several states have been dragging their feet over implementation of the recommendations citing resource crunch.
• The second judicial pay panel was set up by the apex court in 2017 for reviewing the pay scale and other conditions of judicial officers in the country. 

About:

• The Government has taken steps to explore new coking coal blocks, auction of new coking coal mines, enhancing raw coking coal production and enhancing coking coal washing capacity.
• CIL has also taken the following steps to increase the output/production of domestic raw coking coal:
  • CIL has undertaken constant efforts to enhance coking coal production by capacity addition of existing coking coal producing mines and by opening new coking coal blocks.
  • Mass Production Technology has been introduced in coking coal producing UG mines of CIL to enhance the raw coking coal production.
  • CIL has taken steps regarding offering of coking coal blocks for production to private sector (including some discontinued mines) on revenue sharing basis through MDO route. 

About:

• The bill provides for constitution of the National Anti-Doping Agency- NADA for regulating anti-doping activities in sports.
• Its functions include planning, implementing, and monitoring anti-doping activities as well as investigating anti-doping rule violations.
• It also seeks to give effect to the UNESCO International Convention against doping in sports and compliance of such other obligations and commitments.
• The legislation prohibits athletes, athlete support personnel, and other persons from engaging in doping in sports. Under the new legislation, violation of anti-doping rules may result in disqualification of results including forfeiture of medals, points, and prizes, ineligibility to participate in a competition or event for a prescribed period, and financial sanctions.
• The Bill also proposes to establish the National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports with a view to make recommendations to the government on anti-doping regulations and compliance with international commitments on anti-doping. The Board will oversee the activities of NADA and issue directions to it.